New Zealand is Not So Great

It used to be that New Zealand was the favorite refuge of those giving up on Western Civilization. Peter Thiel bought himself a citizenship there.

But now, there are more and more stories of it going politically nuts. They have banned cigarettes for younger poeple, while allowing other illegal drugs. They have onerous vaccine mandates.

They are replaceing science in the schools with primitive witchcraft.

They used to be a reliable ally, but now they declare themselves to be a nuclear-free zone.

Officially, it has elections, but it has no written constitution, and is subordinate to the Queen of England. It currently has a female prime minister.

Jerry Coyne reports:

Despite a rise in spending per pupil over the last 25 years, performance in these three areas in New Zealand has declined, both absolutely and in comparison to the countries like England, Australia, the U.S., Canada, and Singapore—countries regarded as educational competitors with (and comparable to) New Zealand.

Over the past few decades, the national curriculum and assessment have turned the school system into an experiment in child-centred orthodoxy.

The philosophy has changed everything from what is taught to the teacher’s role in the classroom. It has transformed the purpose of school.

I would think that an island nation on the other side of the world would be immune to this nonsense, but apparently not.